NBA legends from the ’80s and the ’90s have tried to create a clear distinction between them and modern players. Most modern-day players, if not all, have unfairly been labelled as ‘soft’ by legends of the past. As per Michael Jordan, there are only a handful of players from the modern era, four to be exact, who could succeed in his time.
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During a conversation with ESPN, MJ named the late, great Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki on that list.
The interview was from around the time Jordan turned 50. So, even if we exclude the players who have come up in the past decade, there are quite a lot of star and even superstar-caliber players that he belittled with his take. The truth of the matter is, MJ isn’t the only NBA legend who thinks that way.
To his credit, there was an old-school feel to the way Kobe, LeBron, Dirk, and Duncan approached their games. In the golden era of basketball, players were tested on their physical and mental strength on every outing. Playing full seasons used to be the norm and there was a genuine hunger to become the best team or the best player in the league.
Over the years, the game has gone off track as players still get paid hundreds of millions of dollars, even if they miss the majority of the season. “Load management” has become the new normal, and the league has started catering to the comfort of players instead of the quality of the game being played. The game has been severely affected by these practices.
And although MJ put LBJ on a pedestal alongside three other superstars, he still maintained that he wouldn’t have been as successful. He said, “Could LeBron be successful in our era? Yes. Would he be as successful? No.” As for everyone else outside of those four superstars, MJ doesn’t think any of them could survive in his era.
Michael Jordan thinks modern-era players are soft
MJ takes pride in the fact that he faced arguably some of the best basketball players of all time and still managed to claim the throne. During the interview, he kept saying “Our era” over and over again. The Bulls legend believes that the modern-day players are soft, coddled, and ill-prepared for the level of competition that used to be the norm in his days.
A slight caveat here is the fact that stars from the previous century confuse harsh fouls with high levels of play. The ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons, Pat Riley’s Knicks, and many more were known bruisers at the time who repeatedly trucked over opposing players with little to no whistle being called against them. Turning basketball in the most talented league in the world into a combat sport isn’t in line with the essence of the sport in the slightest.
The game has evolved for the better in several ways over the years. However, fans longing for the nitty gritty feel of 20th century hoops is understandable. The lack of physicality in today’s game is something that confuses players of the past. Rarely do we see anyone dive for a loose ball, the officials hand out techs like candies on Halloween, and the art of flopping deserves a separate category at the end of regular season awards.
Is MJ harsh in his opinion? Yes. Is he wrong? No. As much as the game has changed and people continue to use it as an excuse, moving away from the fundamentals of the sport can never be justified. If the approach went in the right direction, Jordan would’ve been compelled to take more than just four names.
